Easiest Plants

[dy84]

Hi

i was wondering wat plants are the easiest to take care of that require low light, no co2 system and not much fertilisation. I am lookin for 1 type of carpet plant, 2 types of small plants, and 2 types of large plants, but do not wat to get.

 

[Majjie]

I'm sure you'll get more experienced plant people answering but IME, for what it's worth:

i) carpet plants are very difficult in low light, no CO2, set ups - try Anubias nana and any small, green, narrow leaved cryptocorynes (the brown and olive green coloured ones need more light)
ii) for medium sized plants - try larger, green, narrow leaved cryptocorynes (I'm a fan - can you tell ) or use taller growing plants and trim them regularly
iii) for large plants - go for some of the fast growers like Limnophila sessiflora and hornwort (Ceratophyllum submersum), almost any Hygrophila sp and, of course Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus). But don't plant the last too deep - just rest it on the substrate surface or on some bog wood and it'll do the rest.

Whatever you choose you'll still need some fairly regular maintenance and I would try to stretch to some liquid fertilisation, otherwise you'll get very poor growth.

 

[BigIan]

your probably stuck for a carpeting plant as most of the lush looking carpeting plants such as, glosso, need high light you may be able to get away with Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba'' As according to the tropica site it requires low light. but you may find rather than carpeting it will just grow towards the light.
for the medium plants anubias or some form of crypt would work well,
And as for large background plants, try an amazon sword or any stem plant should do ok

 

[dy84]

your probably stuck for a carpeting plant as most of the lush looking carpeting plants such as, glosso, need high light you may be able to get away with Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba'' As according to the tropica site it requires low light. but you may find rather than carpeting it will just grow towards the light.
for the medium plants anubias or some form of crypt would work well,
And as for large background plants, try an amazon sword or any stem plant should do ok

i thought anubis sword needs high light no?

 

[BigIan]

anubias will grow very easily, in low light, As will amazon sword.
Anubias however needs to be tied to a stone or some wood to grow as it dosent do well buries in the substrate

 

[Dubby]

You could use Vallis for the large plant. You can get a sort of carpeting effect by using dwarf sag, java moss.

 

[mikster]

Yeah i would go with java moss as a carpeting plant, it requires low light and takes a little while to get going but once it does it grows very easily. Will need to trim it though as it can grow to like 5cm upwards. Mines turning into more of a bush but im just lazy with the trimming.

 

[karin15]

I'm sure you'll get more experienced plant people answering but IME, for what it's worth:

i) carpet plants are very difficult in low light, no CO2, set ups - try Anubias nana and any small, green, narrow leaved cryptocorynes (the brown and olive green coloured ones need more light)
ii) for medium sized plants - try larger, green, narrow leaved cryptocorynes (I'm a fan - can you tell ) or use taller growing plants and trim them regularly
iii) for large plants - go for some of the fast growers like Limnophila sessiflora and hornwort (Ceratophyllum submersum), almost any Hygrophila sp and, of course Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus). But don't plant the last too deep - just rest it on the substrate surface or on some bog wood and it'll do the rest.

Whatever you choose you'll still need some fairly regular maintenance and I would try to stretch to some liquid fertilisation, otherwise you'll get very poor growth.

wouldnt liquid fertilization be bad for the the fish, and water quality though?

ps: someone should pin a list of hardy plants

 

[Majjie]

wouldnt liquid fertilization be bad for the the fish, and water quality though?

Hi Karin

Not, I believe, if you choose liquid plant fertilizer designed for fish tanks - and if you do regular water changes. But the subject is vast and complicated (and people's opinions contradictory) - just do a search on it!

I believe this forum pioneers a method involving the addition of nitrate and phosphate for high tech planted tanks but I use Ferka Aquatilizer in my low tech tanks - which is without both - and then add a bit of extra potassium (Ferka Balance-K). My methods are, I'm afraid very hit and miss - but the plants seem to be growing well.

 

[tophat665]

I have Green Cabomba in a couple of my tanks, and it grows like mad with just a little encouragement. Hygro is a good, easy contrasting leaf shape for the background. I like crypts in the midground. C. wendetii is a good one, retrospiralis is pretty neat too. You could also tie Anubias barteri v. nana, and or Java Fern (and or moss) to driftwood in the back/midground. Java moss tied to plastic mesh or slate (weight the mesh with gravel) interspersed with dwarf saggitaria would make an excellent (if slow to fill in) foreground.

 

[karin15]

wouldnt liquid fertilization be bad for the the fish, and water quality though?

Hi Karin

Not, I believe, if you choose liquid plant fertilizer designed for fish tanks - and if you do regular water changes. But the subject is vast and complicated (and people's opinions contradictory) - just do a search on it!

I believe this forum pioneers a method involving the addition of nitrate and phosphate for high tech planted tanks but I use Ferka Aquatilizer in my low tech tanks - which is without both - and then add a bit of extra potassium (Ferka Balance-K). My methods are, I'm afraid very hit and miss - but the plants seem to be growing well.

i think ill give that a try
as long as its not bad for the fish, because i have a very sensitive full grown elephant nose who i love very much

 

[Majjie]

I have Green Cabomba in a couple of my tanks, and it grows like mad with just a little encouragement. .......
Java moss tied to plastic mesh or slate (weight the mesh with gravel) interspersed with dwarf saggitaria would make an excellent (if slow to fill in) foreground.

I've never had any luck with any of these - but maybe that's just me!

Any Cabomba I've ever bought has broken up into pieces in a matter of weeks, whilst dwarf saggitaria just stays in a miserable little clump and as for Java moss - you'd need the patience of a saint to wait for that to cover any significant area. I've had some on a coconut shell cave for months and it hasn't ventured anywhere (I've always assumed it was because of the poor light).

That's the trouble with a list of "easy" plants - which ones are easy depends on your particular tank.

Karin - I don't have any experience with elephant nose fish - it might be worth asking in the oddballs section what fertilisers they use for their plants. My most water sensitive fish are panda corys and ottos and they're both fine.

 

[karin15]

I have Green Cabomba in a couple of my tanks, and it grows like mad with just a little encouragement. .......
Java moss tied to plastic mesh or slate (weight the mesh with gravel) interspersed with dwarf saggitaria would make an excellent (if slow to fill in) foreground.

I've never had any luck with any of these - but maybe that's just me!

Any Cabomba I've ever bought has broken up into pieces in a matter of weeks, whilst dwarf saggitaria just stays in a miserable little clump and as for Java moss - you'd need the patience of a saint to wait for that to cover any significant area. I've had some on a coconut shell cave for months and it hasn't ventured anywhere (I've always assumed it was because of the poor light).

That's the trouble with a list of "easy" plants - which ones are easy depends on your particular tank.

Karin - I don't have any experience with elephant nose fish - it might be worth asking in the oddballs section what fertilisers they use for their plants. My most water sensitive fish are panda corys and ottos and they're both fine.

okie lol, i just bought this red plant off petcetra its got realy hard leaves that are dark green rounded with a deep read-pink-purple color... oh there so nice do you have any idea what they could be? it came as a clump but its realy 3 diffrent stems each stem has its roots growing on near the lower middle of the stem isnstead of in the gravel it dosnt seem to be rooting in the gravel its roots are growing outside ontop of the gravel in clumps very strange, and it is growing new leaves and ive only had it for like 2 days (its big broad and thing leaves provide exelent shade and shelter for my elephant nose and my little upside down cat fish (it is a short plant but its very very bushy it seems to be growing out rather than up) oh and each plant is only one stem that branches out into leveas and a couple short stems with 2 leaves on each.

 

[dy84]

so a 15000K light tube is no problem for fresh water??? but it does cause more algae growth??

 

[Majjie]

okie lol, i just bought this red plant off petcetra its got realy hard leaves that are dark green rounded with a deep read-pink-purple color... oh there so nice do you have any idea what they could be? it came as a clump but its realy 3 diffrent stems each stem has its roots growing on near the lower middle of the stem isnstead of in the gravel it dosnt seem to be rooting in the gravel its roots are growing outside ontop of the gravel in clumps very strange, and it is growing new leaves and ive only had it for like 2 days (its big broad and thing leaves provide exelent shade and shelter for my elephant nose and my little upside down cat fish (it is a short plant but its very very bushy it seems to be growing out rather than up) oh and each plant is only one stem that branches out into leveas and a couple short stems with 2 leaves on each.

I'm not really a plant expert but a pic would help!

Sorry, dy84 - sort of hijacking your thread - I know less about lights than I do about plants, so I'll let someone else answer your question.